“The Little Mermaid wasn’t “worldly.” If anything, Ariel actually sought a... ahem, higher plane than her current undersea world. And it certainly represented Christian values FAR better than the original tale did.”
Just using the Lil’ Mermaid to establish the time I tuned out. I did not see the show, only the massive amount of Mermaid related products hawked. It was the commercialization I focused upon. Never saw the production.
I suggest you see it, it’s actually quite good. Ariel is the furthest thing from a feminist even back then, much less today. She’s at most a Suffragette. Also, I can tell you it has an anti-racism message and even an anti-environmentalist message, and Ursula, the main villain, not only espouses feminist statements that are clearly lies, but Eric actually turns out to be quite badass, taking Ursula out by ramming her with a ship. And Triton actually saves Ariel as well, at the cost of his own freedom, and Ariel is hesitant to leave her family even when undergoing the deal. In fact, you could also say that it really shows what Conservatism and Liberalism’s true faces are, with Ariel representing character integrity (makes no effort to break free from Ursula’s grip, and was also implied to have been willing to be damned and fulfill her end of the bargain if she failed), while Ursula relied on deceit and trickery to get her way.
The TV series, heck, the sequels even, promote similar messages. If any of the post-Walt Disney films during the Renaissance are good viewing, it’s The Little Mermaid and The Lion King.